Light and shadows?

[Loppan Torkel]

I just noticed the shadows from the mountains, which look great just like the rest of the game.

It's a insignificant thing, but it's a 3d game... Is it possible we will see the lightsource in different places, shorter or longer shadows, etc?

Would it be difficult to implement?

 

[Chalks]

As awesome as it would be to see some sort of day and night cycles from a visual perspective, I think it would probably just make playing the game more difficult. A lot of work for something that would end up detracting from gameplay - although being able to see your cities at night could be really cool.

 

[Set]

I hate it when they put day night cycles in games. like in grand ages of rome they have night and I cant see my units or cities properly so I end up messing up where I put my buildings and stuff.

 

[Jawa'sRevenge]

I don't think they are wasting there time making real time dynamic lighting

 

[Loppan Torkel]

If they would implement night and day sides, there should be a giant lamp switch available.

But I'm wondering, if they have a 3d world and a light source for realistic shadows (static lightning?)... even if they are using a flat world and a fixed line where the sun is, why wouldn't it be possible to make it appear at a random place within a set range from the equatorial line? Just to make the shadows angled differently and not the same length.

It would take a lot of processing power, that's why, right?!

 

[Loppan Torkel]

http://www.civfanatics.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=2813&original=1&c=36

Is it something wrong with the last guy's shadow...?



I can't say that the lack of this feature will bother me, but to me, most things needed for it seems to be there...

 

[Chalks]

If they would implement night and day sides, there should be a giant lamp switch available.

But I'm wondering, if they have a 3d world and a light source for realistic shadows (static lightning?)... even if they are using a flat world and a fixed line where the sun is, why wouldn't it be possible to make it appear at a random place within a set range from the equatorial line? Just to make the shadows angled differently and not the same length.

It would take a lot of processing power, that's why, right?!

No, it probably wouldn't take a lot of processing power, but it could possibly require a complete reworking of how the tile engine works. If they've not designed the system to support dynamic lighting to this extent, it seems like a lot of work for something that won't really actually do anything.

 

[eleazzaar]

Day/Night would be silly in a game where turns last a year or a century.

But dynamic lighting could be useful in a few instances like lighting a nuclear explosion, or casting shadows from the lighthouse of alexandria. Don't know if they will think it is worth their trouble.